Title: Mother Knows Best

Author: Wish Wielder

Fandom: Doctor Who (with Torchwoody references of sorts)

Pairing / Character Focus: Jackie Tyler, Ninth/Tenth Doctor, Rose Tyler, Jack Harkness, Mickey Smith, Martha Jones / Doctor x Rose Tyler

Challenge: Songs in Time Christmas Special Lyric Challenge

Theme / Prompt: I have wandered, I have rambled / I have crossed this crowded sphere / And I've seen a mass of problems / That I long to disappear / Now all I have's this anguished heart / For you have vanished, too / Oh my girl, my girl, my precious girl / Just what is this man to do? (from "Love Don't Roam")

Word Count:

Rating: T / PG-13

Summary: When Jackie makes a flippant comment in the presence of an alien artifact, she wakes up to find her entire world flipped around – and not in the good way. There's only one man – well, alien – she knows who could possibly fix it, and she's just wished him out of their lives.

Notes: This is slightly AU (I say slightly as I'm sure this could happen but prob'ly won't in canon), and…bear with me, please. I could have done your usual Emo!Doc fic, but...well, I had this idea, and I really wanted to run with it. Also, That Spoiler (of sorts) 'n potentially some for VotD (but they're not too too spoilery).

Disclaimer: "Doctor Who" and all respective properties are © the BBC. Megan D. (Wish Wielder) does not, has never, nor will ever own "Doctor Who".

Mother Knows Best
Chapter One: A Problem that I Long to Disappear

Up in her room, tucked away on the second story of the Tyler mansion, Rose Tyler could hear the sounds of the party floating up from the floor below her. Muffled music and raucous laughter, mingled with animated chatter and hoots for the already-drunk – it was a reminder to the twenty-four-year-old of where she should be right now, instead of where she was. Well…she couldn't exactly say that; where she should be right now wasn't even in this universe. Where her mother and almost-father thought she should be was downstairs, chatting up the Vitex execs Pete Tyler was trying to impress this time around. It's not like it was very hard, anyway; these parties were really just for appearances, as the Vitex company in this universe was a runaway success. Everyone loved Pete Tyler and his tonics – and they loved him even more for his mysterious daughter, the Torchwood London second-in-command who saved their planet on a weekly basis.

She shook her head and forced the party out of her mind; she had more important things to do right now, and they wouldn't really mind if she was…glancing at the clock on her bedside, she winced. An hour late wasn't really that bad, was it?

Besides, she couldn't be worried with public appearances. Not when sitting on her desk was a something that shouldn't exist: an artifact of semi-unknown origins. R&D labeled it 'unknown' and sent it to her, the nearest expert, to try and figure out what it was just that morning. One look at the glass sphere and her ideas were about as good as theirs – except for the etchings covering the surface. Swirling, clock-like patterns she had only seen one place before – the TARDIS. She had no idea what the device was, but she was certain it was Time Lord – and if it was Time Lord, it was from home.

Twirling it on her desk so it spun like a top, she sighed. The glass spun around, the orange sphere inside of it blurring as it turned. Beyond that, she had no idea what it was or what its purpose was. It wasn't the first time she had found herself wishing the Doctor was there, if for no other reason than just to pick his brain. Ok, snogging him senseless would be nice…but right now, she needed a Time Lord authority. The sphere stopped as she placed her hand back on it, her eyes scrunching over the rim of the glasses she had started wearing shortly after starting her (she wanted to gag every time she was reminded of it) desk job. She didn't need them, but they made her feel smarter, and in a way…well, it was kinda like her first Doctor's leather jacket. It was easier to get through work when she had something to hide behind.

"There you are!"

She jumped at her mum's high-pitched voice, and as she swirled in her chair to look at her she realized work wasn't the only thing she needed a shield for. Jackie Tyler stood in the doorway to her room, hands on hips covered in the glittering black fabric of a dress that, just five years ago, she never would have dreamed of wearing. Partially because she could never afford it, and partially because of how tacky the collar and low-cut neckline made it look. She bit back any comment she normally would have made on the dress with one look to her mum's face; her eyes were narrowed in a glare, and she did not look happy.

"Sorry?" she asked instead, and Jackie sighed.

"I've been looking all over for you, Rose! You're over an hour late, sweetheart!" she said, walking over to her. She paused by her desk as her eyes fell on the artifact. Rose didn't think it was possible for her eyes to turn any icier, but with one sharp suck of breath Jackie Tyler proved her wrong. "Torchwood, is it?"

"I was just trying –" she started, but Jackie cut her off with a sniff.

"I know what you were just trying, Rose Marion Tyler, and I can honestly say I don't rightly care," she said. She leveled her glare on her, and Rose suddenly felt like she was eight again. Eight years old and just caught next to the broken antique vase, football clutched in her arms. "Rose, this is a very important party, and here you are – dressed and from what I can tell with no proper reason to not be downstairs. Your dad's partners have been asking after you, and all you can say is you're up here doing something for Torchwood. Because it obviously can't wait, can it? Who's going to destroy the Earth this time if you don't figure out what that is right now?"

"It's not like that, Mum," Rose sighed, looking back to the device. Her hand tightened on the smooth glass, her eyes boring into the orange sphere that looked so much like a small planet. "It's just an unknown, but…it's important that I figure out what it is. Besides, it's not like they're going to miss me down there. And like you said – it's Dad's partners, so it's a Vitex thing. Ask anyone – Rose Tyler doesn't do Vitex functions. It's listed in bold on TylerWatch."

"…TylerWatch? What on Earth are you on about now?" Jackie asked, and she just shrugged.

"It's a website Mickey found the other day. It's run by a group of paranormal investigators – LINDA. I'm their number one target, as they claim I shouldn't exist," she said, grinning slightly. Jackie groaned and rolled her eyes.

"For heaven's sake, Rose – there's a party downstairs! One that has nothing to do with Torchwood, and that's something you need – something that isn't Torchwood! You're working yourself too hard, Rose. You need to slow down – you're gonna kill yourself, or worse get yourself killed!" she said. Rose picked up the sphere and turned it over in her palm, frowning at it. She didn't want to hear this. Not now, not when she was so close to…

"It's Time Lord, Mum," she said quietly, and Jackie stopped. She turned the sphere around with her fingers, a soft smile curling her lips as she studied the circular script. "It's from back home – Time Lords don't exist in this one, he said. It could be my way back, so I need to figure out how it works. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

She looked back to her mum, not entirely surprised to see the furious look dancing through her eyes. Jackie loved the Doctor, in her own way – she knew that. But still, even all these years later, there was the part of her that would always loathe him. Loathe him for taking her away, loathe him for sending her back, loathe him for trapping her here, loathe him for breaking her heart on that beach…it was little things that Jackie liked to nitpick. Little things that she told herself overshadowed the good (like getting Pete back), and little things that let her stay mad whenever Rose would bring him up again.

"There is a party, Rose," Jackie said, her voice deathly calm. "A party downstairs for your father's company. And he wants you there. Now you're going to stop this rubbish about the Doctor, go downstairs, and live that fantastic life he wanted you to have."

"Mum –" she started, but Jackie cut her off.

"Don't you start, Rose Tyler – don't you dare start! You told me he said that, remember? He wants you to have a fantastic life – the one he can't have 'cause he's too busy traveling to settle down! And this is how you do that? Staying cooped up in your room working on alien gizmos you claim are from his universe?!" Jackie asked, and she slammed the sphere down on her desk as she stood. She didn't even wince when she wondered if maybe that had been smart, as it was possible the contact could have shattered it.

"Your universe, Mum – my universe! Our universe!" she shouted. She heard a lull in the music downstairs, but she didn't care; let them hear them. Let the truth come out. Let them have their field day over Pete Tyler's parallel family. She just didn't care anymore. "Don't you dare forget that! Don't you dare forget that we don't…that I don't belong here!"

"And what is that supposed to mean?!" Jackie asked, and Rose finally let herself glare at her mother.

"You had someone to replace, just like Mickey," she said steadily. "I replaced a dog. You honestly believe I'm meant to be here?"

"It doesn't matter if you are or not, Rose – you're here now, and that's what's important! So stop wasting your time trying to get back there – do you really think if it was at all possible he would've told you? If it was at all possible, he would've sodding done it by now!" Jackie snapped. Rose paused, her eyes narrowing on her mother.

"He might not know how," she said calmly. "He might…with his people gone, he probably thinks there is no way. And…time moves faster here, so it's maybe only been one year for him! He…I can't give up on him, Mum!"

"I'm not asking you to, sweetheart – I'm just asking you to live your life!" Jackie said. "To live the life he gave you –"

"This is not the life he gave me! This is the life I was thrown in when the universe decided it wanted to be mean! The only part you could even try to say he gave me was Torchwood – 'Defender of the Earth', remember? How can you say he wouldn't want me doing this when he's the one who charged me that?!" Rose screamed, and she jumped as Jackie reached for her, ripping the sphere out of her hands. She pointed to the door, her eyes venomous and tone dripping as her pointing hand fisted around the glass.

"I don't care about your status as 'Defender of the Earth', Rose Marion Tyler – it's not even official! Just a nickname that bloody alien git gave you! You've got a real life with real obligations downstairs, now go make your appearances!" she screeched, and Rose took a step back as her fists clenched by her side. She could feel herself shaking, but she didn't care. "Honestly, sometimes I wish you'd never met the bloody Doctor!"

It was worse than any 'Tyler Slap' she could have given her. It was a blow to the gut and a stab through the heart all at once, and for a moment Rose couldn't even think to breathe. She stood there, staring at Jackie with a furious stare and shaking fists and the burn of tears pricking her eyes. She supposed Jackie didn't fully know what she had said when she said it, and maybe later she'd come to say the same of her next words. But she didn't care. She just didn't care – not anymore.

"Sometimes I wish he'd never taken me home," she said, and while Jackie gaped at her she gathered the skirt of her deep blue dress in her hands and stormed out of the room.

– W –

It was a steely silence that had settled over the bedroom of Pete and Jackie Tyler. The room separated them, Pete standing near the closet removing his bowtie and Jackie seated by her mirror removing her jewelry. Jackie's eyes were distant, her mind equally so as she thought back to the fi…disagreement she had had with her eldest daughter earlier that evening. Pete continued to shoot her unnoticed glances, his teeth worrying his lower lip as he considered how best to approach her. He didn't know what had happened, but he knew that Rose had been upset all night – a distress that was mirrored by her mother, though they both did their best to hide it. Jackie – even his original Jackie – had never been good at that, and he had a sinking feeling that Rose hadn't been, either.

"Well, I'd say tonight was a success," he finally said with as much of a sarcastic edge as he dared, hanging his suit jacket in the bag for dry cleaning. Jackie hummed an acknowledgement, yet she didn't look at him. He sighed and walked over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Jacks, what happened?"

"I don't know what you mean – nothing happened," Jackie said, but he could tell by the twitch of her wrist that something had.

"C'mon, Jacks – something had to have happened," he said. "You and Rose were both on edge tonight. I don't think I saw an honest smile from either of you."

"Rose never gives an honest smile anymore," Jackie said distantly, and he sighed. He sat on the chair next to her and propped his elbows on his knees.

"Jackie –" he started, but she wasn't done.

"It's all his fault, you know," she said. "Rose was never this torn up over that Jimmy Stones boy. Yeah, he hurt her, but she got over him within a month. Started seeing Mickey, and that was a good match – a smart match! Then he comes in with his big ears and time travel, and she swans off like we mean nothing – and look what's come of it! Why can't she just let it go, Pete?"

"Did you ever let me go?" he asked, and she turned a sharp eye on him.

"And what's that supposed to mean?!" she snapped, and he sighed. He ran a hand through his short hair and glanced at her reflection in the mirror.

"Your Pete – the one from your original world – died," he said. Jackie's eyes narrowed. "You told me the first time I saw you that there was never anyone else. You never let me go, Jacks."

"That's different," she said huffily. He quirked a brow at her, the question of 'How so?' not even needing to be asked. She looked back at her mirror and frowned. "You're…you're Pete, Pete. He's…he's…"

"Not human?" Pete asked, and she sighed.

"Is that so horrible of me?" she asked, and he laughed as he shook his head.

"Not entirely, no," he said, "but it doesn't mean anything, not really. She loves him, Jackie – still does, even after all this time. Did you honestly think that she'd ever let him go?"

"I just want her happy, Pete! I want her to settle down with a nice, normal bloke – to get away from all this…Torchwood," she sighed as she paused, pressing a palm to her forehead. "I went to find her when she was late, and she was up in her room fiddling with that ball they gave her earlier. She says it's from our world – that it was from the Doctor's people."

"Really?" Pete asked, brows soaring at the news. Jackie nodded.

"She thinks it's her way home, Pete," she said, looking at him. "I just…I didn't…don't want her getting her hopes up. There've been so many…I just wish she'd let him go. It'd be easier for her if she did."

"Do you honestly believe that, Jacks?" he asked, reaching out to place a hand on her cheek. She glanced up at him and sighed.

"No, but…I just wish I had my little girl back. She grew up so fast, Pete, and I don't even know how," she said. He gave her a smile, trying his best to lighten the mood.

"Bright side?" he asked, and she looked at him curiously. "You've got Lilly now. You can watch her grow up and keep her as close as you like."

"Until you take her away to work for Torchwood," she said bitterly, but Pete only laughed. She smiled slightly at the sound.

"Only if she wants to, Jacks," he said, leaning forward and kissing her. "Only if she wants to."

– W –

"Goodnight, Lilly," Mickey said, looking to the small girl bundled up in her bed in the dark room. The soft glow of the star-shaped nightlight illuminated her face, which smiled up at him from underneath a mess of strawberry blonde hair.

"G'night, Uncle Mickey," Lilly said before yawning. He chuckled to himself as he slipped out of the door, clicking it shut behind him. He turned and paused when he saw Rose standing by the window closest to her younger sister's room, her arms folded over her chest and looking up at the sky with that look on her face. He'd gotten used to it over the years; it was the one that told him her mind was across the Void, dancing around a coralesque console room in the arms of a skinny Time Lord. He walked over to her and stood before the window, mirroring her pose as he looked up at the stars.

"What do you think about?" he asked, and she glanced at him without turning. He shrugged slightly and nodded towards the sky. "When you look at 'em, what do you think about?"

"Tonight or in general?" she asked, and he shrugged again.

"Both," he clarified, and his lips quirked up as she smiled.

"Tonight….well, Barcelona," she said, laughing at her private joke. He didn't get it, but he grinned nonetheless.

"Nice place," he said. "Love the fruit."

"Not the city Barcelona, Mick – the planet," she said, and he nodded.

"Right, should've figured," he said, winking at her. She laughed and shook her head. "And in general?"

"Barcelona, and every other planet we never got to see," she said, and he tried not to notice the way her smile drooped or how her eyes turned in, becoming even more distant than before. "Well, that I never got to see. We didn't really make plans, but…there were a few he promised to take me to one day. Barcelona was one of 'em – but we never really managed to make it. He said the dogs there don't have noses."

He laughed when she laughed, because it seemed appropriate.

"When I get back, that's the first place he's taking me," she said after a moment, and suddenly Mickey found he couldn't laugh anymore. He hadn't heard her talk like that in at least a year. "We won't make it – we never do – but I'm gonna tell him, 'Doctor, we're going to Barcelona.' Last time we tried we ended up in the city – that was the closest we ever came."

"Well, it's not like he could actually fly that thing," he sniffed, and she laughed. No matter how much he didn't want her building her hopes up, he couldn't deny he had missed the twinkle dancing in her eyes. "How're things coming with that glass ball?"

"The same," she said, sighing as she leaned against the wall.

"Addie said you think it's Time Lord," he said, and she shot him a look. He shrugged. "She's worried about you, Rose."

"It is," she said, side-stepping his girlfriend and the topic of the fight with Jackie. "They're the only ones with writing like that. I've seen those symbols before, Mickey. I just can't place their meaning."

"Well, maybe it's Time Lords from this world," Mickey said, and Rose rolled her eyes.

"I keep telling you that's not possible," she said. "The Doctor said that Time Lords are above the multiverse; they could cross into separate universes if they wanted, but they were the only ones who existed. And now they're all gone."

"Wouldn't be the first time he's been wrong," Mickey said, and she smiled.

"I don't think he is on this, though," she said. "Mum's upset about it, too. I just know it'll help me figure out how to get back to him, and she just wants me to let it go."

"She's worried about you, too, Rose – we all are," Mickey said. She snorted.

"You don't need to," she said. She looked at her hands, flexing them quickly. They felt so cold – so empty. "We fought about it, earlier."

"I wasn't gonna say anything," he said, smiling at her. She glanced at him, her lips quirking slightly, before looking back to her hands.

"She wants me to forget him. Forget him and Torchwood and everything my life is and settle down. She wants me to go completely domestic," she said. He laughed.

"Now you're sounding like him," he said. He paused and grinned. "Then again, you always sound like him."

"Shut up," she said, smiling. He shook his head.

"I mean it, though, Rose. Jacks just wants you happy," he said. She paused for a moment, looking up at him with a weak sort of smile twisting her lips.

"So do I," she said, sighing. For Mickey, it was like a blow to the gut. "So do I."

– W –

It was almost two in the morning, and Rose's bedroom was appropriately dark. It was nearly silent, save the moans and rustle of fabric as the room's owner tossed and turned in her sleep. She reached out, trying to bat something only she could see away from her. Mumbled words left her lips, her face scrunching in confusion or frustration or pain – maybe a bit of each. She jerked, her head bumping against the headboard as her feet pushed her up and away from unseen terrors.

A soft humming filled the room, one that gave her pause as it filtered into her dream. She gasped and reached out, a whispered cry of "Doctor!" croaking past her lips. The humming continued, accompanied by a rolling noise. On her desk, the glass sphere moved; it started as wobbles and slowly increased to a spinning that soon made the sphere no more than a blur of motion. It twisted and turned, and inside the orange satellite pulsed and turned on its own, in a rotation opposite the bigger sphere. The golden-orange glow continued to pulse, glowing brighter and brighter as Rose began to fight her blankets, punching out at her assailant as she choked on cries of help for her missing Doctor. In her mind she heard him, heard the song of his wonderful TARDIS, but she couldn't see him. She was alone, so alone, in a darkness that clawed relentlessly at her skin.

In a split-second the sphere on her desk stopped, and the room erupted in a violent flash of golden light – just as her lips parted and an ear-piecing scream rent the silence.